Why the panic all of a sudden?

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I am noticing now that a lot of people are all of a sudden panicking over the new DSM. There was very little concerns about it in 2011 (only some people talked about it showing concern, me included) and all of a sudden in 2012, it sky rockets, both parents of autistic kids and people with it are worrying about it. Why did this happen all of a sudden and didn't happen a lot sooner in 2011 when the new criteria was made? Was it that NYT article that started all this?

Just a new round of media coverage stirring people up.

(There's no difference in the proposed changes other than making the obvious more obvious, i.e., you are in fact disabled due to needing help to get by.)

I'm not sure when the details on the severity levels were released, but it seems to be that in particular that is stirring up panic.
Take a look at this diagram:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012 ... f=research

The worry before was that people who were very attached to their "Asperger's" label didn't want to be reclassified as autistic. Now they are worried that they won't even be classed as autistic at all.

The severity level, #1, isn't out of place for someone with the mildest form that can be diagnosed (from everything I've read, from Asperger's paper, Wing's paper, and a million more clinical definitions), see:

and



That describes typical AS (the single interest that one focuses all their attention on for much of the time. The social stuff is basic there).

Because a lot of us won't be seen as being on the spectrum anymore and we won't be getting the supports that we need.

One study, reported in one newspaper.

That seems to be it.

Looks like they are just shuffling definitions & terms. The basics still seem to apply. And besides the DSM is not ACTUALLY the Bible. LOL

Matt

I know that but I was wondering why the panic all of a sudden and why didn't people panic sooner than this?

Maybe because they weren't aware of the DSM until that article was published.

it's certainly got me worried. I finally am up for my testing at the start of February and I'm very concerned that if they diagnose me it will then be thrown out when this new edition comes out.

It doesn't really matter anyway as it's virtually impossible to get any kind of government assistance through a diagnosis.. but I don't want my school to be able to mess with my accommodations because of a diagnosis change..

I doubt anyone diagnosed with AS now needs to go through with the motions again. There's really little difference between the DSM-IV-TR and the proposed changes (it's a little stricter, but I doubt it'll affect much), other than a name change. Someone diagnosed with autism in the DSM-III and its revisions didn't need to, unless there's doubt over whether they have it or not, then they'll use the current one.

Not everyone who has a diagnosis of AS was diagnosed with the DSM-IV-TR too (Gillberg's in my case; Gillberg's Criteria isn't going anywhere); specific institutions often use various instruments, many of which aren't well known publicly. Your basic clinical psychologist or psychiatrist tends to use the basic DSM/ICD though.

No matter what, what constitutes a "disability" is still, and probably always will be, subjective.

I have a job. I can work and function in certain environments, but not in others. I can talk to people and even make a friend or two in certain environments, but not in others. Am I disabled? The clinical psychologist who diagnosed me seems to think so. He seems to think I can do very well in life.....providing I'm in an situation that isn't detrimental and I don't exceed my capabilities.

However, the fact that I have a job and can talk to people means I'm not "disabled" to some individuals and I don't have AS. Not really. Oh well. I'm seriously starting not to care if I "really" have AS or not. Call me when they invent an brain scan test.

I don't know why the panic all of a sudden. I read a bunch of blogs on Tumblr and Wordpress, and almost everyone there is panicking. There are very few calm rational voices to be heard and almost no mentions of the flaws of the study. These people are just doing what the sensationalist media wants them to do.

So the media trolls people. They love to get a rise out of people so they will publish articles to get a rise out of people and they can all sit back and watch the reactions they get in the comments.

I think its scary and I just heard about this today

I don't see anything big changing and I don't see what everyone is so paranoid about, you're not going to suddenly lose your diagnosis, professionals will still consider it valid - it doesn't become null and void just because it's changed names.

Bingo.

If you think penny pinching school districts aren't drooling to unload a bunch of money sucking Aspies and PDD-NOS kids, you're in delusional land. My para pro friend says the two Aspies she works with would not qualify under the new DSM.

She's worried about lay off.

Let the IEP battles big!

Anyone with an ASD kid, you have my sympathies. School district battles will be brutal when the DSM V comes out.